Riots Gabon

France airlifted 800 of its 3,000 citizens out of the African oil city of Port Gentil in Gabon after riots against President Omar Bongo spawned widespread looting, officials said. Two people were killed and 17 were injured in the riots, Gabon's official daily L'Union said. Bongo blamed the introduction of a multi-party system for the unrest that began after an opposition party leader's mysterious death.

Soccer fans rampaged across a stadium Sunday after Zaire eliminated Gabon from the Africa Cup of Nations, and a police captain and a youth were killed in fighting, the Gabon Press Agency reported in Libreville. Spectators set cars ablaze in Gabon's capital, and a police station was ransacked, the agency said. An unknown number of people were hurt after the match ended in a 0-0 draw that eliminated Gabon from the competition.

Authorities said Thursday that opposition leader Joseph Redjambe, whose death in a hotel room sparked a week of riots in this central African country, had died of natural causes and not from foul play. An autopsy on Redjambe's body revealed no traces of violence and showed that the syringe marks on his body resulted from a treatment for diabetes, French and Gabonese officials said. Redjambe's death in a Libreville hotel room last week sparked riots across Gabon and nearly halted oil production.

Authorities said Thursday that opposition leader Joseph Redjambe, whose death in a hotel room sparked a week of riots in this central African country, had died of natural causes and not from foul play. An autopsy on Redjambe's body revealed no traces of violence and showed that the syringe marks on his body resulted from a treatment for diabetes, French and Gabonese officials said. Redjambe's death in a Libreville hotel room last week sparked riots across Gabon and nearly halted oil production.

Soccer fans rampaged across a stadium Sunday after Zaire eliminated Gabon from the Africa Cup of Nations, and a police captain and a youth were killed in fighting, the Gabon Press Agency reported in Libreville. Spectators set cars ablaze in Gabon's capital, and a police station was ransacked, the agency said. An unknown number of people were hurt after the match ended in a 0-0 draw that eliminated Gabon from the competition.

Embattled President Omar Bongo moved tanks and troops around his palace Thursday to stop anti-government rioters, and France rushed Foreign Legion reinforcements to this former African colony to guard French citizens here. Rioters set public buildings ablaze and built barricades in Libreville, the capital of the oil-rich West African nation, and in the oil city of Port Gentil, 80 miles southwest of Libreville on the Atlantic coast.

France airlifted 800 of its 3,000 citizens out of the African oil city of Port Gentil in Gabon after riots against President Omar Bongo spawned widespread looting, officials said. Two people were killed and 17 were injured in the riots, Gabon's official daily L'Union said. Bongo blamed the introduction of a multi-party system for the unrest that began after an opposition party leader's mysterious death.

Embattled President Omar Bongo moved tanks and troops around his palace Thursday to stop anti-government rioters, and France rushed Foreign Legion reinforcements to this former African colony to guard French citizens here. Rioters set public buildings ablaze and built barricades in Libreville, the capital of the oil-rich West African nation, and in the oil city of Port Gentil, 80 miles southwest of Libreville on the Atlantic coast.